A studio recording juxtaposing free improvisations with renditions of early jazz classics.

“The name of this album derives from a 19th-century text on acoustics, but it also puts one of Ellery Eskelin’s virtues on the table from the outset. The sound he gets out of his tenor saxophone is luxuriant but versatile, making equal sense waxing voluptuous in old ballads, darting across the broken ground of free improvisation or connecting the dots between the two. The two Swiss musicians who join him in this trio are similarly gifted. Like Eskelin, bassist Christian Weber celebrates the essential sound of his instrument. He eschews amplification, and every note invites you to savor the vibration of wood. And Michael Griener makes each stroke upon his drum kit stand out in relief while making sense as part of an immaculately executed expression of sound in motion.” DownBeat, April 2017

“There’s a whole history of jazz in these richly rewarding performances.” The Wire, UK 2016

“…a superlative document of the ensemble’s performance at the venerable Swiss jazz festival last year.” Dusted Magazine June 2016

“I considered writing just this sentence as my review of Ellery Eskelin's trio recording Live, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." Taken from poet John Keats' 1818 poem "Endymion," the line just about says it all.” All About Jazz, May 1016

““Eskelin, in mid-career, is a uniquely elastic and lyrical “avant gardist”…the recording is one of those inspired, surprising yet cohesive shows well worth documenting for posterity…Deceptively casual but deeper on inspection, this live set demonstrates a fluid continuum of spontaneity and deeply ingrained musical material bubbling up from the jazz collective unconscious. “ DownBeat Magazine ****

“If Eskelin’s profile isn’t quite as high as it should be (he is a genuine master), it may be that his musical and expressive range is just too broad, with an original voice and command of the saxophone shaped by a legacy running from Coleman Hawkins to Evan Parker. If one stylistic paradigm prevails, it’s Sonny Rollins; not the sound—there’s less honk and more breathy grit—but Eskelin has a knack for the sly and sudden rhythmic twist, the shifted accent in a bouncing boppish line…” The New York City Jazz Record, September 2016

“At this stage in history, there’s something brave - radical, even - about a saxophonist making an album length solo recording that eschews false voicings and strained overblowing in a favour of the horn’s natural range: simple, unforced and unadorned. There’s an elemental feel to the way Eskelin’s soft, unhurried phrases flow with mellifluous ease, taking the path of least resistance save for the occasional instinctive thrust upwards into a brief blossoming flourish. To put it another way, each extemporization remains grounded, stacked on the thick trunk of it’s lowest root note, while lighter branches wave and dance in upper breezes and loosened leaves swirl and float back down to earth. Towards the end of this 50 minute set, the vaguest hints of harmonics begin to creep in, delicate and prismatic, like sunlight slanting through a dragonfly’s wings. Breath, muscle, metal and brain acting in meditative harmony.” (The Wire, July, 2015)

"Flashy displays of complicated virtuosity are frequent components in solo improvised settings. Their usage often constitutes concerted efforts to emancipate instruments from their traditional strictures and guises. Eskelin’s extended embrace of the tenor’s canonical essence makes for an invigorating break with this sometimes self-defeating custom. In his hands a highly personalized language finds expression through the horn, one that is both familiar and singular and given full exposure. By his refreshingly candid and zen-leaning reckoning all he had to do was start at the beginning and play until the end." (Derek Taylor, Dusted Magazine, May 2015)

"…the veteran saxophonist displays his perpetually intriguing sound of experimental music with a deep lyricism. For this recording, it’s a trio of Ellery Eskelin (tenor sax), Michael Formanek (double bass) and Susan Alcorn (pedal steel guitar), and the resulting music is an intoxicating, moody type of avant-garde…" (emusic.com)

“Boldly inventive saxist Ellery Eskelin steers the latest in a series of unconventional trios, a drummerless unit with pedal-steel player Susan Alcorn and bassist Michael Formanek. Here, the band celebrates Mirage, a recent effort that spotlights the group's liquid brand of abstract improv.” (Time Out New York March 2012)

“Eskelin’s warm sound and flowing melodic invention may be the first things to catch a listener’s attention. He has one of the great tenor sounds, somehow balancing, on a piece like “Refraction”, the metallic clarity of John Coltrane and the gauze-like airiness of Stan Getz.” (The New York City Jazz Record, December 2013)

“Weather imagery dominates, as on the foreboding “Rain Shadow,” with its dark, drawn-out tones, and the briskly animated “Saturation,” on which Alcorn’s keening notes seem bonded to Formanek’s burrowing tones. Then there’s the 27-minute “Downburst,” on which the musicians play with a kind of 3D clarity in occupying their own distinctive space while also performing with unified purpose. Like the weather, the music can change, both gradually and suddenly. Around the seven-minute mark, it intensifies: The spaces between notes tighten and the rhythm gains urgency. But the opening of skies is rainbow-perfect, with more poetry than drama, more spare beauty than chaos.” (JazzTimes, January 2014)

"a wily tenor saxophonist who keeps both feet in the present while judiciously reconsidering the jazz tradition…"(The New Yorker - July 2013)

“Embracing his roots in the context of a well established format, Eskelin, widely known as a vanguard improviser with a romantic streak, reveals how boundless imagination bolstered by seasoned workmanship can transcend mere nostalgia.”(Point of Departure)

"…hard-charging band featuring Gary Versace on organ and Gerald Cleaver on drums…combines soul-jazz grease with the heat of abstraction." (NY Times, July 2013)

"They’re not trying to meet expectations, but they’re not trying to challenge them either. They are just, in this modern world, in this big city, grooving."(THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD, August 2011)

"Trio New York is good, intelligent fun, relaxed but engaged and very hip. It may be avant-garde, but it’s still organ combo jazz." (Point of Departure.org, Issue 35 - June 2011)

"Eskelin loves the hard-boiled tenor tradition once embodied by Gene Ammons and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, though, and because he remains in touch with the combination of the tender and the brusque central to the code even at his most abstract, these interpretations are as moving as they are thought-provoking." (The Village Voice, NYC December 2011)

"It's an equal partnership full of subtle intelligence with no place for grandstanding...Hemingway demonstrates impressive command of timbre, but doesn’t shy away from incorporating that extended vocabulary into a loose limbed swing. Eskelin proves the perfect match: a master of texture and undulating lines, oozing rhythmic awareness and soul even within the most skittering abstractions...the ferocious attention to detail rewards close listening."(All About Jazz NY - January 2011)

"The two musicians find common ground in their shared devotion to careful listening and ego-less creation. There’s a naked purity to this music. Broken harmonies, tangled skeins of melody, garbled cries and transparent emotionalism are products of an extraordinary musicality made explicit by artists who don’t let their considerable (individual and collective) virtuosity get in the way of direct expression. Honest and uncompromising, and all the more beautiful for it."(JazzTimes, May 2009)

"...another in an increasingly amazing discography for the tenor saxophonist." (Pitchfork Media)

"...shows no sign of settling into a predictable groove." (Time Out New York)

"...a stunning achievement." (Santa Fe New Mexican)

"Eskelin demonstrates his distinctive melange of flavors and intensities throughout, and the band exudes intelligence without borders...an impressive and expansive statement..."(JazzTimes Magazine)

"What's most interesting about these discs are the continuous changes of atmosphere, making for a varied listening experience and testifying to the force of this trio, that reinvents today's jazz with a mind-blowing inventiveness: there is not a single useless, repetitive, boring moment, in these two hours of music." (All About Jazz Italy)

"...the results are sophisticated and beautiful...lucidity, born of intense and sensitive listening, reigns, and Eskelin is able to preserve his trio's characteristic sound in the full group setting". (Bagatellen)

“...this wide-ranging music feels almost like a consolidation of the previous decade's explorations, even though it contains plenty of surprises; you can hear the whole history of jazz in Eskelin's horn, as well as this trio's entire journey in the music they play here...This disc is a fitting tribute to the longevity of one of the finest working bands in improvised music.” (Dusted Magazine)

“Another skill Eskelin has evidently picked up over the years is a sense of pacing and atmosphere that contributes to the overall enjoyment of a CD. The somber melancholy of much of the material is a testament to both Eskelin's vision and the almost astonishing cohesion of the ad-hoc groupings over two days of improvising in the studio...A marvelous recording, seriously recommended.” (Cadence Magazine 06/2005)

“Nevertheless Ten manifests an increase in intensity over Eskelin's previous ten CDs on the HAT label. Parallel with this intensity he appears to play less, artfully insinuating himself into the patterns woven by his longtime band mates and guests. Eskelin's body of work keeps growing like his solos: there is always a story line counterbalanced by an air of mystery. You can never predict where he and band mates are going to end up. That makes him not an iconoclast, but rather one of the most creative and interesting of contemporary composers and tenor players.” (Coda Magazine March, April 2005)

“...an improvised symphony with twelve distinct but related movements. The six musicians on the album play in various combinations, and Eskelin seems a musical polyglot: here playing fast and furious, there with an almost melancholic intimacy. One tune seems like an oblique paean to punk, another to circus music and cabaret. The singer Jessica Constable--one of three guests-- is a revelation. On the second cut, she sings a quiet line of wordless, atonal plainsong. Unfettered from the burden of a text, her voice becomes an abstract sound sculpture that is disquieting, compelling--and slightly unhinged. Eskelin's tenor dances delicately around the voice. He gently slaps the reed with his tongue, and you can hear the air going through the horn as he slowly creates a pulse around which Constable--whose voice has the huskiness of Beth Gibbons and the crystalline ring of Björk--winds down her improvisation.”(The New Republic on-line March 2005)

"This is Eskelin jazz, folks; it's full of pathos, humor, and musically sanctified soul." (Thom Jurek, All Music Guide)

"a significant unearthing of important archival material by one of the top musical minds in jazz. Vigorously recommended..." (Glenn Astarita - Jazz Review)

"The performances are confident and heartfelt, and Eskelin's tenor sounds great against the rhythm section of Drew Gress and Phil Haynes." (Kurt Gottschalk, All About Jazz NY)

“Eskelin shows a remarkable control. He is angular, he cavorts, he breaks lines and zips in with short phrases, but he never scoots over the top. He balances melody with freeform movement, and in bringing them together gives his music sinew and soul.” (All About Jazz)

**** (4 stars)"There's a joy at the base of the ensemble's sound and they navigate their improvisations through often-uncharted territory in engaging fashion. Thanks to his ceaseless imagination and the group's distinctive instrumentation, Eskelin and company avoid the trappings of a traditional sax trio.” (DownBeat Magazine, November 2003)

"...the listener should come to expect the unexpected. It's partly about Eskelin's blustery lines intermixed with Parkins' swirling accordion maneuvers and Black's odd-metered backbeats. At times, the trio moves forward with the semblances of a rumbling freight train, via driving pulses and moments of compositional deconstruction. Nevertheless, the musicians seem equally comfortable when either engaging in a bit of controlled mayhem or executing trance-like choruses and soul-searching lyricism. This is yet another superb effort by one of the best groups in the business.” (All Music Guide)

"...his group has made the virtually miraculous discovery of playing new jazz that isn't 1) hopelessly traditional or 2) hopelessly experimental...Arcanum Moderne is the eighth release by this trio, and, like its predecessors, is an excellent example of how vibrant jazz can be in a world where rock, hip-hop and electronic music are the dominant forms of artistic music expression."Pitchfork Media

"One of the truly great working bands out there, fast approaching the 10-year mark, this trio continues to create weird, bewitching music at the highest level. Equal parts brains and booty..this album raises the bar yet again." Cadence, October 2003

"Best CD of newly released music in 2003...This is one of the best groups in improvised music...This CD finds the cutting edge trio in brilliant form, building lyrical swells in fragmented opuses." (Stephen Middleton)

"The basis for this outing relates to tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin's references to ‘imaginary’ musical works - the bulk of this material is centered upon the trio's improvisational acumen. Few would argue that this ensemble is perhaps one of the finest units in progressive jazz."(Downbeat Magazine, July 2002)

"This is a man who has seemingly taken it upon himself (and conspirators Jim Black and Andrea Parkins) to find the missing link between jazz, rock, electronic music, pop and plain old everyday static...Furthermore, though I took this stuff without so much as a second thought, I would be hard-pressed to say what kind of music they were playing...Best of all, this lack of a label applies to every second of music on the album...Like Monk, his music is often simple on the surface, but repeated listens reveal a marvelously advanced efficiency in the arrangements (as a bass-less trio, this is a plus) and compositions. Fittingly, this group plays the old master's "Oska T" as a virtual encore at the end of the disc."(pitchforkmedia.com March 20th, 2002)

The French magazine "Diapason" awarded this recording a "Diapason d'Or", February 2002

"...the musical interplay, the sensitivity between the players and the adventurousness of their hearts and minds is awe-inspiring. (**** The Birmingham Post, UK)

"These five players are daring in their trust for one another. Their agitations of materials in a never-ending present suggest the action paintings of Jackson Pollack. Like Pollack's drip paintings, Eskelin's music delights in purposeful accident. But there are five artists flinging color on this canvas; somehow, they don't make a mess. They listen closely, react instinctively and find complex counterpoint sonorities on the fly. Individual movements contrast and congeal. Microtonal details (from stringed instruments plucked and bowed) accumulate to dense yet delicate texture. Within the multiple calls and responses are sudden revelations of space and light." (**** Down Beat, May 2002)

"How Eskelin manages to turn out the number of beautifully contoured, concise musical statements he does without any preconceived structure is up to him to explain. But regardless of the method, Vanishing Point is fairly well stocked with not only shining moments, which many a free session does happen upon, but also entire songs that are ear-catching from end to end." (Jazz Times May 2002)

"Does Ellery Eskelin ever lead a group with less than outstanding results? This is his sixth recording for a series of limited edition CDs produced by the adventurous Swiss label, hatOLOGY, and like its predecessors, it is a winner all the way...There is an intense lyricism produced that belies the common conception of free improvisation. The strings and vibes stand on their own, with the saxophonist's exquisite tone drawing, blending, and contrasting its timbre." (Steven A. Loewy, All Music Guide.)

"Some people will probably criticize this "devious" album but, honestly,it feels like a breath of fresh air and reaffirms Eskelin's position as a true creator."March, 2001, (allmusic.com)

"Their music has rarely sounded so effortless and straightforward...This is smart, complex music, but it never lacks heart." (Down Beat Magazine, May 2001)

"The three players have now traveled the same wavelength for so long that they have become part and parcel of the same advanced organism." (SIGNAL TO NOISE #22, summer 2001)

"Ellery Eskelin is a gifted tenor saxophonist whose bold, pungent tone, remarkable range and uncanny facility on the instrument should naturally rank him right up there with the leading lights of today's jazz scene. And yet, his experimental streak often places him well beyond the walls of the jazz establishment. Hence, Eskelin is an outcast, a Herculean player with an extremely fertile imagination who remains keen on collaborating with musical upstarts who also defy convention. On the adventurous The Secret Museum he has found some real kindred spirits indeed in keyboardist Andrea Parkins and the superb drummer/percussionist Jim Black."(Jazz Times Magazine, May 2001)

“...it's a beautiful showcase for the rich timbres of Eskelin's quintet of cello, accordion, tuba and percussion...Eskelin's most vivid episodic works to date...Ramifications suggests that Eskelin's compelling voice as a tenor saxophonist and his bold compositional sensibility - which he aptly likens to filmmaking, given his penchant for a jump-cut approach to structure - have reached a new level of integrated creativity.” (Sonic Net, by Bill Shoemaker)

"..thoughtful, playful and lyrical imagination and execution...laced with humor and features Eskelin dancing his tenor over the tuba-cello/drums accordion rhythm, what a beautiful sound..." (Downbeat Magazine, October 2000)

December 2002, Jazzman Magazine (France) includes "Five Other Pieces (+2) as one of 50 recordings that define the sound of the last decade.

"Staying true to the music of others, while deconstructing and reformulating a new synthesis, makes this a more accessible though no less innovative recording than the trio's other excellent issues." (All Music Guide)

"Audiophiles will wet their drawers, guaranteed...improvisations of as high-spirited, inventive a quality as it's been this writer's pleasure to hear." (Mike Silverton La Folia Volume 2 Number 1)

"In this duet with New Yorker Ellery Eskelin, Bennink has found as formidable an opponent in an American as he did in Sonny Rollins some years back." (All Music Guide)

"This joyful tussle between American saxophonist Eskelin and Dutch drummer Bennink is serious fun from beginning to end. Foxy veteran Bennink's energy and drive -- absurd, majestic, unremitting, and unforgiving to those who can't keep up -- spurs the younger Eskelin into some of his most formidable playing on record." (JAZZIZ, February 2000)

"This is some enjoyably organized madness which needs to be heard to be believed." (Signal to Noise/issue#12 july aug 1999)

"On tenor sax, Eskelin is The Man -- quite possibly one of the two or three best tenors on the scene." (Motion - Interactive Services for New Music)

"The album's production and sound quality are superb, bringing the organic percussion and saxophone tones together with Parkins' more modern keyboards in a way that, despite sounding a little unusual at first, is ultimately coherent and tastefully done. All in all, Kulak 29 & 20 is an excellent album from one of the more groundbreaking jazz trios of the late '90s." (All Music Guide)

"...recorded live at Kulak, Berikon, Switzerland, on October 29 and 30, 1997, by the innovative trio... This bravura track shows this trio at their best - both in their imaginative reconstructions and recombinations of generic material, and in their tremendous instrumental ability and appeal...Kulak, 29 & 30 is a fascinating document of one of today's top trios at work. Don't miss it." (allaboutjazz.com)

****1/2 stars"...he's come up with a startlingly new concept, a new approach to structuring jazz work and stimulating improvisations..." (DownBeat, January 1997)

"Eskelin could get away with murder. That tone is all the alibi he'd need...incarnating the horn's romantic tradition while inking fresh initials on it's tattooed heart." (Jazziz, January 1997)

"Coming from Baltimore, Eskelin's compositions have much in common with fellow Baltimorean John Waters' films. They mine the tradition for its contradictions and use those as a place to build something new that can only be marked with an individual signature...This is one of America's truly great offerings to the music of the world." (All Music Guide)

Honored in the The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1001 Best Albums

Music by and associated with the great Gene Ammons.One of the Top 10 Recordings of 1996 (Ben Ratliff/New York Times)"...a poetic, kinetic, power trio..." (JAZZIZ)"It's a remarkable record." (The New York Times)

with John Hollenbeck:NO IMAGES (Blueshift CRI 2002)ETERNAL INTERLUDE John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble (Sunnyside Records SSC1220)MONK MIX Remixes & interpretations of music by Meredith Monk (The House Foundation for the Arts)